Jungle Legends
In the many years The Jungle has been on the air, there have been many callers to the show. But only a few callers can claim that they are "Jungle Legends." Factors may include whether a caller has won a Smack-Off, the amount of racked calls, and the reaction to the caller. Below are many of the callers who are considered to be Jungle Legends. The Old School The DiTolla Brothers-As the most successful family tandem in the Jungle's history, Michael DiTolla, also known as Doc Mike DiTolla (a dentist) and his brother Jeffrey E. DiTolla Esq. (lawyer) have been calling the show since the pre-syndication days. The two have won a combined three Smack-Off titles. While Jeffrey continues to remain inactive, Doc Mike returned in February 2008 and subsequently participated in Smack-Off 2008, finishing second on the strength of a vicious Vic in NoCal crackback. Following that Smackoff, Doc Mike said he would be a regular show participant from now on. Terrence in Sierra Madre-Another holdover from Rome's early Southern California days, Terrence has participated in 13 consecuitive Smackoffs, and still calls the show several times during a calendar year. Known for his humor and fresh takes, Terrence is widely loved by many of the show's listeners. Yet, Terrence has never won the title of King of Smack, and has in fact never finished second. Iafrate-A two time Smack-Off champion and the defending King of Smack, Iafrate was also once considered to be the best never to win on the Jungle's biggest day. He shed that label in 2004 by calling himself an unmitigated loser for falling to Jeff in Richmond in 2002, and through his smash hit Whitey's Dad, a tribute to former Jungle engineer Brian Albers. With his 2004 Smackoff win, Iafrate became one of only two callers (Doc Mike being the other) caller to ever relegate the Cablinasian to runner-up status, and is still the last caller to accomplish such a feat, a stat he pointed out in his crackback on Doc Mike DiTolla in Smack-Off 2008. Steve Carbone-A former employee of the show, Carbone is a former Smack-Off champion, and is now known as Stevie from LMU. He won Smack-Off 1998 with this famous blast at The Clones, "I got a job and you don't! I get chicks, and you don't! I get benefits and you don't! Basically, I've got game and you don't! For the last time, losers, I'm not a 'expletive' clone! OUT!" He is known for his rivalry with five-time champ Sean the Cablinasian (see below). Sean the Cablinasian-A caller from Rome's early syndicate days, this Jungle legend won five Smackoff titles (1999, 2003, 2005-07). Known for his rivalries with the now banned Willie in K.C. as well as Steve Carbone, Sean was a controversial figure in some quarters since he only called twice a year (once for his Smackoff call, once to claim his victory). Now a co-host of his own sports talk show on a Houston station, Sean was barred from participating in Smack-Off 2008 due to his job. Greg in Vegas-Though a large portion of The Clones believe Terrence is the best caller never to win the Smackoff, some circles say it's this old-school Las Vegas caller. Greg is most famous - or infamous - for his references to amputees or dead people. His most infamous call was his Smack-Off 2003 call, in which his Bruce Edwards blast at the end of the call is widely considered to be the line that cost him a Smackoff title. He hasn't participated in the Smackoff since 2010, when he got run for making fun of Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease. Kerwin in Riverside-For a few years, this old-school caller was one of the best callers on the show. His 1998 and 1999 Smackoff calls were legendary. His Smack-Off 1998 call featured the famous end line "Always bet on black," a call which garnered him a 6th place finish. The very next year, Kerwin finished runner up to Sean the Cablinasian. Kerwin has not called the Smackoff since 2000, and gets an invite no longer. Gino in San Antonio-Another caller from Rome's early syndication days, Gino participated in five separate Smackoffs in the late 90s and early 2000s. Though he hasn't called the Smack-Off since 2001, Gino still calls the show once or twice per year. Gino is most known for his respect for the old-school Southern California callers, his dislike for many of the syndicate callers and his thorough breakdowns of the Smack-Off. Silk in Huntington Beach-Another old-school caller from Rome's pre-syndication days, Silk is a polarizing figure in many circles, due to a prevailing opinion from The Clones that he's homeless. Silk is widely known for traveling to many of Rome's 30+ Tour Stops, and is often seen in a Cade McNown UCLA jersey at those Tour Stops. With the show having its Southern California roots, these pre-syndication and early syndication callers are sure-fire Hall of Famers. But with affiliate expansion came the opportunity for others to shine, and these callers have also made their mark in Jungle history. The New School Brad in Corona - '''Brad made his Jungle debut in June 2008 with a call that cracked on then-Boston Celtics' coach Doc Rivers' oily skin complexion and Phil Mickleson's poor performance at that year's U.S. Open. He won his first Smack-Off title the following year, and has followed that up with Smack-Off crowns in 2011, 2015, and 2018. '''Jeff in Richmond-This polarizing caller changed the entire face of the Smack-Off when he pulled the biggest upset in Smackoff history by capturing the 2002 event. Known for his arrogance as well as his predictable set of takes, Jeff is widely despised by The Clones. Many of the legendary callers have taken runs at Jeff, including previous winners Sean the Cablinasian and Iafrate, as well as other legends such as Greg in Vegas. Dan in DC-A crossover from the latter part of Rome's old-school days, Dan came very close to winning a pair of Smackoffs himself. In his debut, Dan finished third in 2000, after which Rome said on the air that Washington D.C. not carrying all three hours of the show cost Dan a chance at the championship. He made another great call in 2003, and came in fourth in the event. Jim in Fall River-Jim is another crossover from the very end of the old-school days, and though he hasn't participated in the Smack-Off since 2004, he has made some of the legendary calls in the show's history. In his debut in 2001, he was run when there was an animal sound in the background during his phone call. The very next year, he made a legendary call involving the classic line "One Andrew Pettitte," which helped him to a third place finish. He finished sixth in 2003, and was run at Smack-Off 2004. Willie in KC-Though he is now banned from the show for anti-Semitic remarks, Willie will be forever remembered as one of the Jungle Legends because he made one of the legendary calls to the program in early 2003 - a call which involved a parody about Jungle legend Sean the Cablinasian. That song is in Alvin's Mix. Willie appeared in that year's Smack-Off and placed seventh, helped by his song, "Born in the NBA." Joe in the O.C.-Though he has only been participating in Smackoffs since 2003, Joe has become a Jungle legend quickly, having placed third or higher in four of the six Smackoffs since, and was the runner-up in the 2007 event. Joe currently has an on-going feud with old-school caller Gino in San Antonio stemming from the aftermath of Smack-Off 2008. On Sean the Cablinasian's Houston radio program following the Smackoff, Joe claimed he got robbed of the title (he finished third, behind Doc Mike and Iafrate). Gino, who also called Cablinasian's show that day, informed Rome of Joe's claims the next Monday, after which Rome chided Joe. Approximately two weeks later, Joe called the show back and cracked Gino, calling him a "surrendering little Frenchy" in the process. Rachel in Houston-This five-time Smack-Off participant (debuted in 2004) quickly developed a reputation as one of the show's most polarizing - and legendary - callers. Many clones who dislike her tend to gloss her by male R names, and claim that her takes are unoriginal and boring. Yet, Rome has branded her with "legendary status" and Rachel stands as one of the legends to meet Rome outside of a Tour Stop. Chad in Portland-Before he started calling the show in 2007, Chad had already made a name for himself in the email portion of the show, with his addiction to Magic Johnson emails. In June 2007, right before Rome's two week summer vacation, Chad called the show for the first time, and was subsequently racked. Soon after, a legendary feud between Chad in Portland and Mike in Wichita ensued, in which Chad would use parodies to mock Mike. Chad was invited to the Smackoff in 2008 but did not make it on the air for competition. External Links http://www.andrew.moorehill.net/Jungle/ http://www.stucknut.com/ (takebox)